The effectiveness of efforts to reduce and eliminate racial/ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities is contingent upon having a cadre of scientists who can advance the understanding of health disparities and their mediating factors and develop multidisciplinary strategies and interventions to reduce them. Thus the overall goal of this core is the expansion of research skills and intervention strategies among emerging, new and established investigators at Penn and Cheyney Universities. The specific aims of this core are to: 1) build collaborative partnerships between Cheyney University and the University of Pennsylvania that will facilitate the conduct of interdisciplinary, culturally competent research with the ultimate goal of reducing health disparities, 2) develop a cadre of investigators, including minority investigators, equipped to generate new knowledge of mediating factors underlying health disparities and successful interventions to reduce these disparities in the health of African Americans and Latinos, 3) develop joint, externally funded Cheyney-Penn research projects as a context for mentoring in the research process from conceptualization through publication, and 4) provide training of practicing health and human service professionals and students of the Community College of Philadelphia to increase their interest in research and in collaborating with investigators, and their ability to effectively disseminate program information relevant to health disparities. In collaboration with the Research, Shared Resources, and Community Outreach and Information Dissemination Cores, and other Institutes and Centers of the Universities, this Core will lead the EXPORT Center's efforts to train investigators to conduct interdisciplinary research relevant to health disparities in obesity and obesity related diseases by enhancing content knowledge through colloquia, formal mentoring, consultation services, and summer training programs. The targets of training will be undergraduates, postgraduates and faculty. Because of the paucity of well-trained minority investigators, this core will implement programs to recruit and train a cadre of minority investigators of diverse disciplines.